Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Lens
Implants for astigmatism offer cataract patients an excellent opportunity
to see clearly at distance after cataract surgery without eyeglasses. Indiana Cataract Surgeon Scott
Buck, M.D. of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN.
commented on correcting astigmatism after cataract
surgery with toric lens implants. “Most cataract patients know from their
eye exams or eyeglass prescriptions that they have some amount of astigmatism.
However, sometimes they don’t realize that it is important for their cataract
surgeon to correct that astigmatism in order to get the best visual results
after cataract surgery,” explained Dr. Buck.

Astigmatism is a common refractive eye condition that
that is most often due to an uneven curvature of the cornea. If the cornea were
perfectly shaped, it would have a spherical round even shape, like a
basketball. In eyes that have astigmatism, the cornea is typically curved more
like an oblong, football-like shape, similar to the shape of the back of a
teaspoon. “Depending on the degree and orientation of the unequal curvatures,
astigmatism can cause mild or even severe blurry vision,” further explained Dr.
Buck.

Patients with cataracts and who are in need of
cataract surgery have three choices when considering how to correct their
astigmatism. First, patients can simply choose to be dependent on wearing
eyeglasses after cataract surgery in order to correct astigmatism. Second, if
appropriate, some patients may opt to have an additional surgical procedure
called Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI) or third, patients can elect have an
astigmatism correcting toric lens implant in which the astigmatism correction
is incorporated into the lens prescription just as in eyeglasses. “Toric lens
implants are placed in the eye in exactly the same manner as ordinary lens
implants at the time of cataract surgery and correct the astigmatism as part of
the cataract surgery operation,” further explained Dr. Buck.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Your risk of stroke may be increased if you have late stage AMD according to currently thinking. The Rotterdam Study reported at the International Stroke Conference found that the risk for any stroke was 56% higher in participants with late-stage AMD than in individuals without AMD after they controlled for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medication, smoking, cholesterol levels, carotid artery plaques, body mass index, alcohol intake, and C-reactive protein levels.

“The single most significant finding in the study was that participants with late-stage AMD-either the wet or dry forms-had six fold higher risk for intracerebral hemorrhage or stroke than did participants without AMD,” noted Ophthalmologist Scott Buck, M.D. of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center. ”This is a critical piece of information and one we need to be responsive to and keep patients and their physicians abreast of.”

If you or someone you know suffers from or is concerned about age related macular degeneration (AMD), especially if they are concerned about their risk of stroke or have a family history of stroke please feel free to schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

“Now is the time for patients who want LASIK in Indiana to use any Flex Plan funds that might be available to them,” commented Kelly Connors of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center. “In the event you don’t have any Flex Plan funds remaining for 2013, it’s a good time for you or a family member to set aside funds for 2014 and make LASIK affordable.”

Many employers offer Flex Plans-Flexible Spending Accounts or FSA’s. These plans allow you to have money taken out of your paycheck over time to pay for LASIK. What is even more appealing about Flex Plans is that money is withheld in Pre-Tax dollars allowing you to get extra tax savings.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Northwest
Indiana Eye & Laser Center Contact Lens Specialist Dr. Stephen Buck advised using
caution when wearing Halloween decorative contact lenses to change your eye
color or appearance. About this time
each year we see the result of the Halloween participants who wish to
turn their eyes from blue to some far out appearance or ghoulish look by using
over-the-counter, decorative contact lenses. “Contact lenses of any
type-including Plano non corrective decorative contacts are a medical device
and require an eye exam and proper fitting in order to be worn safely,”
cautioned Dr. Buck. “While these types of contacts can be a fun part of your
costume they can also lead to serious vision-threatening problems,” further explained
Dr. Buck..

According to the Food and Drug Administration, all contact lenses are regulated medical devices that
require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional. Some
websites advertise decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or
toys with fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young
adults, especially girls. The problem is not that people use decorative,
noncorrosive lenses-sometimes called Plano-or zero-powered lenses, but that
they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the
Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops.

The buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces
a huge risk including scratched
corneas, pink
eye and more serious types
of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer

In 2005, a federal law was passed that classified all contact lenses as medical
devices and restricted their distribution to licensed eye-care professionals.
Illegal sale of contacts can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per
violation.

The safe and effective use of contact lenses-whether
decorative or not-requires proper fitting and education about their care to
prevent the potential for serious eye
problems from becoming a reality. If you or a friend would like to learn
more about contact lenses of any type including decorative contacts please call
Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser
Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center

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Scott Buck, M.D.

Comprehensive Ophthalmologist, LASIK & Cataract Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. is the Founder of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, P.C. Dr. Buck earned his Medical Degree at Indiana University School of Medicine followed by a Residency in Ophthalmology at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Buck provides examination, consultation and treatment for eye diseases as well as Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK Eye Surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, Dr. Buck provides implants (IOL) for the correction of astigmatism and near vision after Cataract Surgery. Further, he has a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface problems such as dry eye and dry eye syndrome and takes personal pride in providing patients with help for dry eyes. In addition, Dr. Buck and his staff are committed to helping patients look their best with both non-surgical aesthetic treatments such as BOTOX® Cosmetic and gel fillers such as Restylane® and Perlane, as well as cosmetic eyelid surgery such as Blepharoplasty to help with droopy, puffy or saggy eyelids.